Cirque du Ombres
by STift1981
Summary: A few months after the war ends, a string of murders overshadows the arrival of a traveling circus - and a visit from Sophie's sister. But the circumstances of the murders point to Howl as the prime suspect. Can Sophie and the others sort this out and prove his innocence?
1. Prologue

**Hello, guys!**

**Well, after watching the movie and reading all three books, I decided to go ahead and try to write a story of my own. Now it follows the Myazaki movie, but I'm gonna try and incorporate a couple of characters and scenarios from the book, as well as a few original characters.**

**The title itself is a work in progress: for now I'm calling it ****_Cirque du Ombres_****, which means "Circus of Shadows" in French. If anyone has any better ideas for a title, or if I misspelled the title (I'm not French, myself), feel free to send me a message. Yes, there will be a circus in this story, but I'll let you guys read that when I get those chapters up.**

**Also, to those who've read my other stories: I know I haven't updated them in a long time, but I promise I will get to them. I just want to get this one published while it's still fresh in my mind.**

**Well, wish me luck!**

**Prologue**

It was two o'clock in the morning that September night, and the streets of Kingsbury were silent and still. The only noises that could be heard were the occasional caterwauling of feral cats in the local alleys, and sometimes the footsteps of soldiers making their rounds to ensure that no one was out past curfew. Many of the streetlights had gone out hours ago, leaving only the light of the nearly-full moon to illuminate the night. But it wouldn't be that way for long, as the soldiers observed: clouds were beginning to hide most of the stars and would eventually cover the moon as well, plunging the city into total darkness. Even the guards patrolling the Royal Palace were lighting lanterns for better visibility. Though the war had been over for only a few months, everyone knew better than to let their guard down for even a moment. People all over Ingary became more and more wary as the nights started growing longer. They knew that the darkest part of the night was also the most ideal time – and the most dangerous – for disaster.

But, unfortunately, not everyone was as cautious…

Down near the deepest part of Kingsbury was an alehouse, echoing with songs, laughter, and shouts from drunken customers demanding more ale. Not many people cared to live in that part of town, so no one complained about the noise, and the only soldiers who ever showed up were old war veterans who came to drink and tell tales of the glory and hardships from past wars. Some nights, the local wizards would come by for some merriment – and the occasional teasing gesture at one of the bar maids, who either responded with a coy giggle, or a slap across the face. Tonight was especially rowdy because a group of "working" girls decided to stop by and offer some of their own entertainment for these individuals, not only because they were considered war heroes, but for their own personal pleasure as well.

At around this time of night, two such girls came out through the tavern door laughing. One girl, who had her hair set in golden curls, was shouting out to someone behind her back: "Now, now, dearie, you've had enough fun for one night. But I'll be back tomorrow if you want an encore!" she winked and giggled at the unknown man as she and her companion turned right into the dimly-lit alley. After talking for a few minutes about how much money they made and what tomorrow would bring, the conversation began to quiet down as they continued to stroll further in.

Suddenly, the girl to her left placed her shawl over her crown of red hair and wrapped it tightly around herself, looking very nervous. "Maybe we should've stayed till morning, Beth," she whispered to her friend, "I don't like coming this way when it's so dark."

"Oh, Charlotte, don't be such a ninny!" the blonde girl retorted, "This is the same route we always take back to our homes. So we stayed longer that we normally do; I think it was well worth it." She dangled her little purse in front of her friend's face, jiggling it a little so that the sound of the coins echoed through the alley.

"Put that away!" Charlotte hissed fearfully, pushing Beth's arm down, "You never know who could be lurking in these shadows; there could be bandits, or killers, or…or even…"

"Aha, now I know what you're so worried about," Beth smirked at her, "you're worried about _him_, aren't you?"

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb; you're afraid of Howl, aren't you? The wizard who _supposedly_ tears out the hearts of beautiful girls?" Beth said quite haughtily. She had heard all the gossip around town about the dashingly handsome young wizard who was famous all over the kingdom for stealing the hearts of every beautiful lady he managed to win over; of course the rumors made it sound like he literally tore their hearts out and actually ATE them. Some girls believed that he did this because he was actually over a hundred years old and needed the hearts of young girls to keep his youth. Others said that he did this out of anger because the girl did not please him in the end. There were other, nastier stories going around, but Beth didn't believe a word of them.

"Well, wouldn't you be, too?" Charlotte asked, "I mean, think about it: any minute now he could just step out onto the street, offering to take us home. Then, when you least expect it, he has you against the wall. A dagger or something in his hand, ready to come down and – "

"STOP IT!" Beth growled angrily, not because she was scared, "you're starting to sound ridiculous! Those are obviously just stories made up by a jilted lover to get back at the poor man. I swear; women nowadays don't understand the proper way to keep a man happy. Now as for me," her voice softened to a tone that merged sympathy with pleasure, "I could give him every pleasurable experience known to Man; he would have to be crazy to toss _me_ out."

"And what if he tries to steal your heart?" Charlotte looked at her friend in both shock and exasperation.

"I'll just tell him outright, 'Darling, if you want my heart, it'll cost you double'."

Beth let out a round of hysterical laughter, while her friend just sighed in defeat, 'And you said _I_ sounded ridiculous…' she thought.

A few minutes later the two women arrived at the house where Charlotte was staying. As she stepped over the threshold, she turned back to her friend. "Why don't you stay the night, Beth? You shouldn't be walking home alone at this hour."

"Lottie," Beth answered stubbornly, "I appreciate the thought, but I've been working these streets much longer than you have; I can take care of myself."

"I'm not saying you can't, but…I do worry about you. You're such a dear friend and it would break my heart if something happened."

"Oh, you darling girl," the friends embraced and kissed each other on the cheeks, "I'll be just fine, don't worry so much. Oh, I forgot –" She reached into her dress pocket and pulled out another purse, "Don't forget this; you'll need it to pay your rent. I'll meet you at the usual place tomorrow morning at ten o'clock."

Charlotte took the purse and nodded, "Alright then, be careful going home. Good night."

"Good night."

Closing and locking the door, Charlotte stood by the window and watched as Beth sauntered further down the alley, disappearing into the shadows. "Please…be very careful…"

* * *

Beth continued down the alley with no fear whatsoever. What she said to Charlotte was true: she had been living on the streets of Kingsbury since childhood and had learned to survive by her wits. There was no way in Heaven that any killer, thief, or wizard would dare mess with her. Smiling with pride, she kept walking, the light of the moon guiding her way until the clouds finally passed over it.

_BANG!_

The sudden noise made Beth stop dead in her tracks. She immediately grabbed the nearest stick she could find and turned around. "Who's there?" she called out. But the alley was still and quiet; not even mouse was stirring. As her eyes got accustomed to the darkness, she surveyed her surroundings carefully, ready to strike at any disturbance that came her way. It seemed like hours before Beth decided that it was only her imagination. She relaxed a bit, though still keeping a firm grip on the stick as she was about to continue on her way when…

_BANG! CLATTER!_

"Alright, show yourself!" As she once again readied herself for a fight, she suddenly heard what sounded like something moving towards her. She backed up against the nearby wall, which was shrouded in darkness, and raised her stick over her head to strike whatever it was. Just then, moonlight managed to peek out from behind the clouds, revealing and empty coffee can that had somehow been knocked off from the wall further back. It managed to roll its way in her direction after falling. Looking at it in confusion, Beth heard softer movement from that same direction. She glanced out of her hiding spot to see a mangy alley cat tottering along the opposite wall before disappearing over it.

Relieved, Beth put her arms down and sighed, leaning back against the wall. Then she burst out laughing as she put the whole thing together: the cat had obviously pushed the can off the wall to get it out of its way.

"Foolish Lottie," she giggled to herself, clearly ashamed of her actions, "Her nerves managed to get to _my_ nerves…he he he…ACK!"

Just as the clouds overcame the moon again, a dark figure chose that moment to appear in front of Beth. It wrapped what felt like a hand around her throat, preventing her from screaming. Fighting her fears Beth attempted to raise the stick again, only to have another hand grasp her wrist tightly, forcing her to drop her weapon. She started gasping for air as the grip on her neck grew tighter. Her efforts to fight the thing off were fruitless: if this was a man, he was clearly very strong.

Eventually the lack of oxygen took its toll; she felt faint and weak, unable to stand or see as everything started swimming. As she stopped trying to fight, the figure guided her body to the ground, hovering over her as she finally lay down on the pavement. Beth could only watch in terror and silence as whatever it was appeared to raise an arm over its head. Before passing out from fear and suffocation, she suddenly thought of Charlotte and her own fears, and with one final effort she managed to whisper one single word before succumbing to the darkness:

"…Howl?..."


	2. Chapter 1: New Arrivals

Chapter 1: New Arrivals

The weather in Market Chipping that Sunday was beautiful. Despite the fact that it was September and close to the start of autumn, it was pleasantly warm outside with only a few small, puffy clouds dotting the sky.

The town had seen its fair share of hardship and destruction due to the war between Ingary and Strangia back in the spring. Thanks to the bombings, many businesses and services had to close and quite a few people lost their homes. Even the train and tracks had been destroyed, preventing many people from entering or leaving. When it was all over, those who managed to flee started flocking back, only for some to share rooms with neighbors, or gather in public places like the Town Hall and local churches. Sickness had also been a problem, since contamination from toxic waste and oil from shot-down planes poisoned the drinking water. Only one hospital out of three managed to survive the carnage, but because of the number of patients and casualties and the lack of medical supplies, the place had been overrun. Nearby homes and businesses offered their empty rooms and warehouses to those who were not able to be admitted. Even doctors from some of the neighboring towns traveled to Market Chipping to offer their aid.

By the beginning of summer, people who were able to work began the process of rebuilding and cleaning their town. Everyone voted that the most important buildings – like the ruined hospitals, schools, and the train – would be given highest priority. Some families worked to build their own homes, but were willing to help any way they could. While the men (young and old) helped with most of the physical labor and fixing broken machinery, women and young girls were washing and mending any clothing they could find, providing food and blankets to the needy, and even boiling as much water as they could for future use. Even the local farmers on the outskirts were able to provide whatever produce and livestock they could.

Eventually, soldiers and wizards arrived from Kingsbury, offering their services to any towns who had suffered from the war. Of course there were angry whispers about them "daring to show their faces after what they did", but the people knew deep inside that the whole messy business wasn't really their fault; they were just following orders. Thankfully, with all the extra help and hard work, Market Chipping was on the verge of once again becoming the prosperous and lively town it once was.

In fact, during the first couple of weeks of September, the town was especially busy. Not only was everyone finally beginning to get back to their normal routines, but there were also preparations to be made for the annual Harvest Festival – a two-week celebration that always started on the day of the Harvest Moon (the full moon of September). There was so much work to do: making brooms, chopping firewood for the winter, cleaning houses from top to bottom, hanging colorful decorations from the streetlamps and roof tops, and taking out the winter clothes to be washed. Bakeries were hard at work making pies, cakes, and all manner of other pastries. Farmers were just as busy with their crops and the usual chores. In the afternoon, children were running home from school talking excitedly about all the fun games and music that the festival would bring.

About this time of day, one little boy got off the trolley (which had just started serving transportation again) followed by an elderly-looking dog. The boy was carrying a large white box with the name _Cesari's_ printed on top.

"C'mon, Hien, let's go," he said to the dog, an excited smile on his face. The dog, equally excited, followed quickly as they ran down the street towards a nearby shop. The sign hanging from above the door said:

_H. Jenkins_

_Fresh Flowers Daily_

Climbing the front stairs the two regarded the 'CLOSED' sign in the window. Balancing the box with one hand the boy took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He ushered Hien inside and, after relocking the shop, they ran out the door in back of the room and headed to the back courtyard. Coming to another door - leading to the shop owner's living quarters – he turned the knob to the left, waited five seconds, and went in.

"We're home!" the boy cried happily, "Sophie! Sophie, where are you?" He looked around the spacious living room and kitchen, but didn't see a soul except the elderly Witch of the Wastes snoozing in a rocking chair in front of the fireplace. As he walked to the table to put down the box, a crackling voice spoke.

"It's about time you got back, Markl. What was the hold up?"

"Sorry, Calcifer," Markl replied, "There's just so much going on for the festival. And guess what I saw in Market Square today!"

"Uhh…more people?"

"A parade!" Markl shouted, ignoring Calcifer's sarcasm, "A CIRCUS parade! With clowns, and elephants, and acrobats, and EVERYTHING!" The boy was dancing in circles with joy as he talked. The old woman woke from her slumber and smiled at his antics. Even Hien gave a raspy laugh with excitement.

Calcifer, however, was not impressed, "Yeah…so what?"

"So," Markl stood looking at the little ball of fire, "Circuses are fun; all the animals, the flying trapeze acts. I've never been to a circus yet myself, but now that it's here, maybe we can all go together!"

"Yippee…" Calcifer grumbled; he obviously wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea.

"That reminds me," Markl looked around again, "Where are Sophie and Master Howl? I gotta tell them the news."

"Howl's still out; don't know where he is, don't care. Sophie's out in the valley, collecting the laundry."

"Thanks, Calcifer!" Not wanting to wait, Markl went back to the door and turned the color dial from yellow to pink before going outside, with Hien at his heels.

Instead of the backyard, the door opened to a large valley surrounded by mountains. The river running through it glistened in the afternoon sunlight. Millions of different flowers dotted the landscape, filling the air with endless combinations of fragrances.

At the top of a nearby hill were a couple of clothes lines set up to take advantage of the gentle breeze that was blowing through. Moving among them was a young woman of eighteen years; she was busily taking clothes off the lines and putting them in a nearby basket.

"SOPHIE!" Markl called out to her as he started running up the hill. Sophie turned around and smiled as came closer. Hien tried his best to keep up, but with all the running he did earlier it was clear he was tiring out.

"There you are, Markl," she said, "Great timing, too; do you think you could help me with these?"

"Sure, but there's something I've gotta tell you." Markl walked over to large shirt and pulled it off the line. Hien plopped down beside him on a clump of soft grass.

"Really, what happened? Did you manage to get to Cesari's okay?"

"Yup. Oh, and your sister said to tell you that she added a few extra cream cakes for you."

"Oh, that Lettie is so sweet," Sophie said cheerfully as she thought about her younger sister. It had been a little over a year since their father died and Lettie was sent to work at the bakery. With all the work going on over the past couple of months to rebuild the town, the two girls hardly had anytime to see each other. In fact, the last time Sophie had visited her sister was during the May Day celebration four months ago. "I hope she won't get in trouble for doing that."

"She didn't seem to mind," Markl said as he threw a couple of pairs of his own pants into the basket, "Actually, most of the time I was there, she was asking a bunch of questions about you."

Sophie giggled, "Well I should make an effort to visit her again. She must've been worried sick about me the whole time I was gone." She took a large bed sheet off the line and tried to fold it, "Could you please help me with this?" Markl grabbed two corners and helped her fold the sheet. While doing that, he suddenly remembered what he wanted to tell her.

"Anyway, as we were coming home, we saw a circus parade in the square!"

"Circus?" Sophie's face lit up, "That's wonderful; I haven't been to a circus since I was little."

"Can we go, Sophie?" Markl asked hopefully, "I've always wanted to see a circus. Please?"

Sophie thought for a moment as she took down two more shirts, "Well, I personally would love to go, and you should definitely see it, but I think there's one more person you should ask first."

"I know," Markl said, looking crestfallen, "But Master Howl's still out, and we never know when he'll be back."

This was true; Howl often stayed out for hours – sometimes even days – at a time, never letting anyone know where he was going or when he'd return. Usually, whenever he did come home it was late at night or very early in the morning. And when questioned about his whereabouts, he would just dismiss it by saying he was busy, or asking for hot water for the bath. The rest of the family was pretty used to this routine, since he did that quite a lot in the past, but Sophie found it incredibly frustrating. Ever since she helped him get his heart back from Calcifer (not to mention he almost got himself killed during the bombings in Market Chipping), she had been worrying about him constantly, and his bad habits were not making it any easier.

"Well, he'd better get home soon," she said finally, "Or the next time he takes a bath, he'll find all his clothes in the bathtub." The two of them laughed as the last of the laundry was taken off the lines. Grabbing one handle each, they proceeded to carry the basket to the door. Hien got up, fully rested, and followed them eagerly. Taking the basket to the kitchen, they started sorting the clothes and linens.

"Hey, Calcifer," Markl said as he folded a couple of towels, "If Master Howl says yes, do you and Granny want to come with us to the circus?"

"A circus, how lovely," the old witch replied with a smile.

Calcifer just grunted, "What makes you think he'll say yes? And why should I have to go? Watching a bunch of people wearing ridiculous costumes put on a stupid show like trained monkeys; it's degrading. Besides, Howl's been doing similar things himself for years."

"Oh, come now, Calcifer," Sophie scolded him, "What can you possibly have against the circus?"

"Well, those phoney-bolony magicians, for starters. I mean, seriously: rabbits out of a hat, sawing people in half, vanishing acts, levitation; to call that stuff _magic_ would be an insult to sorcery! In fact, no self-respecting wizard in his right mind would even _think_ of subjecting himself to that kind of humiliation."

Sophie and Markl listened quietly to Calcifer's rant as they finished sorting the laundry. Markl was already heading upstairs to put his things away. Sophie was just putting the rest back in the basket to take upstairs when there was a knock on the door.

"Market Chipping door," Calcifer announced.

Sophie was puzzled; they weren't expecting anyone, and Howl wouldn't knock on his own door. Nevertheless, she walked over, turned the dial back to yellow, and opened the door. At first, all she could see was the empty courtyard in back of the shop. Looking down, however, she saw a young cat, pure and white as snow, cleaning itself at the foot of the steps before looking up at her.

"Mew."

"Hello, little one," she cooed at the creature, "Where did you come from?" She went out, picked up the cat and carried it back inside. "Look, Calcifer, isn't she beautiful?"

Calcifer took one look at the cat and panicked, "Hey, hey, hey! Get that thing outta here!"

"What's the matter with you?" Sophie snapped at him, "She's just a cat."

"That's no cat! GET IT OUTTA HERE!"

But it was too late. Before either of them could say another word the cat jumped out of Sophie's arms and started jumping all over the place, finally landing on the kitchen table facing her. Markl came down the stairs just in time to see the cat somersault into the air, glowing with a bright light. Everyone watched as the bright silhouette of the cat grew into a human-like shape before landing on top of Sophie.

After a few seconds, Sophie's dazzled eyes managed to clear up enough to get a good view of what happened. She found herself laying down, pinned to the floor, with someone sitting on top of her. Looking up, her eyes met those of what appeared to be a young girl – only a little bit older than Markl – smiling at her, her bright red hair hanging in pigtails over her shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled with laughter as they gazed down into her own. Sophie couldn't help but feel that she'd seen those eyes somewhere before…

"FIFI!" the girl shouted as she threw her arms around a confused Sophie.

Now Sophie was sure of it: she knew exactly who those eyes belonged to. There was only one person in the entire world who called her that:

"MARTHA?"


	3. Chapter 2: Little Sister Bearing Gifts

**Sorry for taking so long. I've gone through a lot of different scenarios in my head before writing this chapter. I wanted to add more, but then decided to stop here as it was getting too long already.**

**Just a couple of things to clear up first:**

**Some things are from the book (if you've read it, you'll recognize them), but I rearranged a couple of things: like Sophie and Lettie's ages when their mother died. Mrs. Pentstemmon is mentioned, but in a different setting.**

**I used the name Fanny for her stepmother because that was her name in the book. I don't know what her name is in the movie, so that will have to do.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. see you soon!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Little Sister Bearing Gifts**

* * *

Everyone in the room (except Granny, who smiled cheerfully at the scene) stood wide-eyed and open-mouthed as the two girls hugged each other, laughing happily. They didn't know what to make of it: first they saw a stray cat bouncing off the walls, and the next minute this strange girl magically appeared and tackled Sophie to the floor. Markl walked down the stairs and stood near Granny as he continued to watch. Hein followed and hid himself between them while Calcifer just sat in the hearth gawking. Eventually, the girls calmed down and Martha helped Sophie off the floor.

"Oh, Martha, it's so good to see you!" Sophie said happily, "But why didn't you tell us you were in town? We could've made preparations for you."

"Are you kidding?" Martha replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "And miss the chance to surprise my favorite sister? No way." Suddenly, her face took on serious look as she began to look Sophie over. "Come to think of it, Fifi, you're a lot different from when I last saw you. You're not wearing one of your old hand-me-down dresses this time." Her eyes then rose to look at her hair, which was silver-colored and reached just past her shoulders. "And what happened to your hair?!" she gasped, "I mean, I know I said Mama's gadding would turn your hair white, but I wasn't being serious!"

"Martha, calm down," Sophie attempted to soothe the little girl, "Yes, a lot has happened since you left, but it's not what you think…"

"And what happened to this place?" Martha spun in place, surveying the whole interior, "This doesn't look like our house at all. When I heard that Mama sold the house and Papa's hat shop, I was furious. I kept telling myself 'there's no way Sophie and Lettie would let her do such a thing. Why, Papa would probably turn over in his grave!' So after we got into town I decided to come and see for myself, and what do I find? Our hat shop is now a _flower_ shop, and it doesn't even have the Hatter-name anymore. Not only that, but you disappeared this past spring, and Mama got remarried – without telling anyone!"

"Now, Martha…" Sophie could tell that her sister was getting more and more distressed the more she talked.

"So I went and tracked that woman down, and I pitched such a fit that it would make a grown man cry. She told me that you had been cursed and that you just up and left (which I thought was pure rubbish at first) and the shop finally went bankrupt. But then you came back and changed the business to flowers and…"

"Howl bought it back for your sister, child," Granny spoke up calmly from her chair, causing everyone present to glance at her. Martha was suddenly thunderstruck after hearing the old witch's statement.

"Howl?" she asked, quite surprised, "As in the wizard who lives in a moving castle of junk and eats girls' hearts for dinner? That Howl?!"

Sophie sighed; she wasn't too surprised that this silly rumor was still going around, but she wished that someone would clear it up soon, "Yes, Martha, that Howl."

Almost immediately, Martha forgot all about being upset and started to feel very excited – much like a child who was going to the carnival for the first time. She had so many questions to ask her sister, but then she remembered seeing other people in the room. Glancing behind Sophie, she looked inquiringly at the witch, fire demon, dog and boy.

Sophie nearly fell over as she realized that she had forgotten her manners. "Oh, I forgot: everyone, this is my sister, Martha Hatter. Martha, these are –"

"Wait!" Martha interrupted, "Don't tell me; I want to figure it out for myself." She strode over to the group, and looked each person in the face carefully, as if she were searching for something. There was an awkward silence as she continued to scrutinize them. Finally, after what felt like hours (it was really only 5 minutes) she marched triumphantly over to Calcifer. "I've got it: _you're_ Howl!"

"WHAT?!" Markl, Calcifer, and Sophie were all taken aback by Martha's statement.

"Well, it makes sense: he's clearly the most powerful one here – I could see it right away. Although, I gotta say, I'm beginning to see why everyone says he tears girls' hearts out: he's not much to look at up close…"

"Hey, don't insult me, kid!" Calcifer flared up. He was flattered at being acknowledged for his power, but the last part made him burn with humiliation, "I'm a scary and powerful fire demon! So don't go putting me on the same level as that fool!"

Sophie tried not to laugh as she interrupted, "Actually, this is Calcifer; he runs everything around the castle, and he's our good friend."

"Oh, really? Well, I guess that makes even more sense," Martha said as she turned to Sophie and then back to the fire demon, "Sorry about that, Calcifer."

"Hmph, 's alright," he grumbled.

Martha walked over to Markl, who couldn't help but blush as the girl nearly pressed her nose against his own, "Then _you_ must be Howl," she said, "You're not as powerful as people say – don't get me wrong – and you're a lot younger than I imagined. But, then again, I guess boys have to start meeting girls at some point in their lives, right?"

Markl quickly overcame his confusion and grinned nervously at Martha, "Umm, excuse me, but I'm not Master Howl."

"Huh? You're not?"

"This is Markl," Sophie explained, "He's studying magic under Howl."

Martha gasped in delight, "You're an apprentice? Me too!"

"Really?" Markl asked with a smile, "Who's your master?"

"Have you heard of Mrs. Fairfax?"

"You mean Mrs. Annabel Fairfax, the Witch of Folding Valley? Of course I do: Master Howl took me with him to meet her once, last summer. Does she still keep those bees? They make the best honey!"

"Yup, and she even uses the honey in a few of her healing spells. She's even going to bring some fruits from her orchard to the festival this year." The two apprentices were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice that everyone else was watching them, with smiles on their faces. Just then, Martha put her hands to her cheeks, "Oh my gosh, I forgot!" She walked to the middle of the room, "Mama always said '_you should never come calling with your hands at your side_'. I brought presents!"

Everyone looked at her as if she were crazy; they didn't see anything with her. No boxes, bags, baskets – nothing. Before they could say anything, though, Martha held out her left hand and snapped her fingers. Instantly, a light-blue casting circle appeared on the floor in front of her. The wood boards rippled and churned as if they were water. Suddenly, they noticed something rise up from the floor. When she finally disabled the circle, in its place was a large brown carpet bag sitting on top of a larger wooden chest.

"It's a type of spatial magic," Martha explained when she saw their confused looks; "Anything I put in the circle follows me wherever I go. It really comes in handy during market day." She grabbed the carpet bag and went over to the kitchen table. Standing on a chair, she opened the bag and reached in. The first thing that came out was a basket, filled with a dozen jars of honey. Sophie helped her put it aside as she reached in again and pulled out another basket, this one filled with fresh apples and oranges.

Markl was stunned: the baskets were much taller than the bag, and yet she was pulling them out as if they were coming out of a storage crate! While the girls were busy, he squatted under the table to look underneath and inspect the wood above him: everything was normal!

"It's spatial magic, too," Martha told him, not even bothering to look under the table, "I keep all the small stuff in the bag, and the bag follows me in the circle. Pretty nice, huh?"

Markl instantly got up, only to gaze in amazement as the table was filling up with other things from the carpet bag. Boxes of sweets, books, plant pots full of herbs, freshly harvested vegetables, and…

"Lemons?!" His face went white as a sheet as he spotted a basket full of bright yellow lemons, before slowly turning a shade of green. Even Calcifer shrank in the hearth at the sight of them.

"Of course," Martha chuckled, "I brought them especially for Fifi. She makes the best lemonade you've ever tasted!" Then she noticed their sickly faces, "What's wrong, don't you like lemonade?"

"It's not that," Markl stammered, "it's just that…well…"

"Keep those things away from Howl," Calcifer continued for him, "That fool's crazy about lemons; sucks the juice out of 'em like nobody's business. Last time, he devoured a half-a-dozen of those things in one sitting; poor Markl here looked like his face was gonna implode!" The aforementioned boy was already holding his cheeks at the mere thought of going through that trauma again.

Sophie stifled a giggle as she took a few fruits out of the basket and carried the rest to her room. "Don't worry, you two, I'll hide them where Howl won't dare to look." She was in and out of the door in 5 minutes, and then she and the children proceeded to put the rest of the food in the pantry. "Martha, is there any mint among those herbs?" she asked, reaching for the cutting board as Markl found a pitcher, juicer, and sugar.

"Need you ask?" she replied cheerfully as she handed her the pot of mint.

Sophie plucked the amount she needed and started chopping it, before slicing and squeezing the lemons. As she worked, the children decided to sit by the fireplace with the others. Martha took an instant liking to Hein and Granny called her a 'pretty little girl'.

"So, you're Sophie's little sister?" Markl asked, blushing, "I mean I know Sophie has a sister, but I thought that was Miss Lettie."

Martha grinned at the boy, "There are actually _three_ Hatter Sisters: Fifi's the oldest, then there's Lettie, and finally there's me." She then gave a pleasant smile, "To be perfectly honest, Fifi and Lettie are my half-sisters."

"What do you mean _half_-sisters?"

Sophie spoke up from the kitchen, "She means that we have the same father, but different mothers." She looked up from her work to see that Markl was confused, "Remember when Mother came to the shop during the evacuation?"

"Miss Fanny? Yeah, I remember her."

"Well, she's actually my father's second wife, making her Lettie's and my stepmother." Sophie finished mixing the lemonade and put it in the ice box to chill before joining them at the hearth. "You see, Markl, Martha is Fanny's actual daughter."

"Oh, I get it now," the boy nodded in understanding, "But if that's true, what happened to your real mother?" Martha suddenly elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to grunt in pain before realizing his mistake. "I-I'm sorry, Sophie."

"It's alright," she replied, "She died when I was six years old; Lettie was five at the time. I don't remember much about her these days, but I do remember that she was a kind, beautiful, and intelligent woman. When Father was busy with the hat shop, she had her own little side business involving herbal remedies. She wasn't a doctor, but people all over Market Chipping came to her for healing, especially those who couldn't afford a doctor."

"Was she a witch?" Calcifer asked with interest.

"I don't know," Sophie replied, "I asked her once, but she called herself something. It was in another language – I can't remember what it was – but I think it meant _medicine woman_. In fact, she often let me watch her make medicines and potions, sometimes I even helped her. I remember she kept all of her recipes in a journal, but after she died I couldn't find it. It made me sad because I wanted so badly to be able to follow in her footsteps at the time. After a while, though, people started expecting things of me and I forced myself to cast those dreams aside."

"You don't have to anymore, Sophie," Markl said, "You can still do your mother's healing."

"Sure; I mean, who's gonna stop you?" Calcifer piped up in agreement.

Sophie smiled, "I appreciate it, you two, really. But as I've said, I don't know where her journal is. Without it, I don't remember the recipes."

"Why don't you look in here," Martha had gotten up from the floor and walked over to the chest in the middle of the room, "You still haven't seen all of your presents, Sis!"

Sophie looked quizzically at her sister before kneeling in front of the box. Everyone else crowded around her as she lifted the lid. Inside were quite a few things Sophie hadn't seen in years: her mother's wedding dress, a large fluffy quilt, an antique china tea set she thought had been thrown away, books, what looked like a jewelry box, and several other things. She looked up at Martha, who was beaming happily at her.

"Martha, is this…?"

"Your old hope chest!" the little girl shouted, throwing her arms around Sophie.

"What's a hope chest?" Markl asked; he felt that all of this girl-stuff was going to make his head explode.

This time Calcifer explained, "It's some sort of custom for young women. When a girl is ready to find a husband, she fills an old trunk with stuff she thinks she'll need when she's married: clothes, dishes, you get the idea."

Sophie would've been annoyed at the fire demon's blunt explanation, but she was busy looking through the chest with nostalgic curiosity. She hadn't opened this chest since she first filled it at the age of 15, and was eager to remember what else she put in it. She grabbed a folded picture frame and took it out. They all watched as she opened the frame and gazed upon two familiar faces.

The picture on her left was a middle-aged man who wore a dark bowler hat and had a small mustache. He looked so kind and handsome for his age; Sophie knew immediately that she was looking at her father's portrait. She then looked at the picture on the right; it was of a young woman, wearing what might have been a brown dress (the pictures were black and white, so she couldn't tell) with a cameo broach pinned at the neckline. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and her eyes held the same warmth and love that Sophie remembered from all those years ago.

"You look just like her," Markl whispered in awe. Even Calcifer had to agree that Sophie was a mirror image of her mother. Even though the color of her hair had changed, the expressions on the two faces were a perfect match. Sophie couldn't help but shed a few tears; it made her so happy to see her parents' faces again.

"Remember this?" Martha interrupted Sophie's thoughts by pulling out another, bigger frame. It was a picture of a group of about 20 girls, all around the same age, wearing similar modest dresses. They were standing around an elderly woman who appeared to be in her seventies, wearing a fancy dress and sitting in a wheelchair.

Sophie smiled as she took the picture in her hands, "Ah, _Pentstemmon's Academy for Young Ladies_. This was supposed to be my graduation picture."

"You went to that school?" Granny asked.

"All three of us did," Sophie replied, "Father wanted us to have a 'proper lady's education', so he enrolled all of us at the academy."

Martha wrinkled her nose, "I hated it; all those strict rules, the itchy dresses, the stuck up, snooty classmates. Not to mention the tuition was very expensive, and when you send three girls at the same time…it's no wonder the shop went under."

"What do you mean?" Markl asked.

Sophie's smile became more sympathetic as she spoke, "Father was…a little _too_ proud of us, and spared no expense in our education. As a result, at the time of his death, the hat shop was left with quite a lot of debts. We were called away to his sick bed just before my graduation ceremony, so I never properly finished. After the funeral, Mother told us that we had to leave the school and, in order to keep the shop running and take care of us, we had to go into apprenticeships."

"Hmph!" Martha retorted, "Take care of us, my foot! She only wanted to get us out of her hair so she could spend the money made off _your_ work on her own foolish pleasures!"

"Now, Martha, you're not being fair," Sophie chastised her sister, "Losing Father was very hard for her; she had to make very difficult decisions."

"Oh, really? Was it really difficult for her to spend the shop's money on new clothes, hiring carriages, and visiting rich men?"

"That sounds scarily familiar," Calcifer muttered under his breath as he thought about Howl.

"She didn't even give you wages!" Martha continued, "She knew you were a genius with making hats and clothes and she exploited you for it! You were right to leave when you did; if you stayed in the shop any longer, you might've faded away. Even Lettie agrees with me; whatever curse you had was the best thing that ever happened to you."

Sophie was silent during her sister's tirade, but deep inside, she knew it was true. She remembered the feelings of loneliness and inadequacy that accompanied her as she made hats. Despite her resignation to such a life, the whole idea made her feel like screaming. She knew that it wasn't all her stepmother's fault, though: she had no one to blame but herself, for never having the courage or the drive to even attempt to seek something better.

Her mind flooded with the memories of May Day; it was only four months ago, but it seemed like only yesterday. Meeting Howl in the alley, their escape from the Witch of the Waste's blob men, flying through the air over town, the Witch herself coming to the shop that night and placing the curse on her. Yes, the curse; if that didn't happen, she would've never had the nerve to leave shop and have such amazing adventures. All the people she met, the places she saw - they were all a result of that curse. The realization burned in both her heart and mind: even if it wasn't intended to be, what she thought was a curse actually turned out to be the greatest gift she could ever receive!

Sophie turned her head to look at the old witch, who had moved to one of the kitchen chairs to get a better view of the hope chest. The woman smiled her same senile old smile at her. The others looked on as Sophie stood up, walked over to the old witch, and threw her arms around her neck.

The Witch was surprised at first by Sophie's gesture, and even more so as the poor girl cried silently into her shoulder. But then her face softened as she circled her arms lovingly around Sophie, patting her back to soothe her.

"There, there, it's alright. No more tears."

Martha watched in shocked fascination at her sister; she never expected such a reaction. She turned to look at Markl, who was just as stunned as she was.

"Hey, what's going on?" she whispered.

"Well," he whispered back, "It's kind of a long story…"


End file.
